As the pandemic approaches the anniversary of the first lockdown, Magenta Security increases its investment in team mental health support.
“Security professionals are, like so many other key workers, on the front line, keeping people safe. They are at risk like others from COVID or indeed other illnesses and even physical attack. Yet they are also emotionally and psychologically at risk,” comments Abbey Petkar, managing director, Magenta Security Services. National and international press and other industry’s highlight the mental health challenges faced by so many people at the moment. However, we as an industry are doing very little to raise awareness and support our hard working, under-pressure workforce.”
Petkar points out that: “Mental health issues affect us all; from the parents struggling to home school kids, the furloughed workers, the unemployed, the frontline key workers to the kids themselves - the majority of which haven’t seen their friends for months. Statistically speaking the majority of the security workforce is male and sadly very few people realise that young to middle aged men are amongst the most vulnerable when it comes to suicide risks. We must all do what we can to protect our workforce - not just from the obvious but also the silent dangers.”
Magenta is working closely with its whole workforce to ensure ongoing mental health support for its team, their families and any of the communities they work with. A key part of that is gathering advice and thoughts from highly respected sources and sharing them through a variety of channels. These include mental and physical health advice – part of which includes:
Five tips for looking after your mental health during lockdown
1. Keep regular contact with friends and family. Social isolation is known to be detrimental to mental health and sense of identity. Schedule video calls with the people you would usually see in person to help you lift your spirits and share your feelings.
2. Minimise engagement with the news if it is making you feel anxious. Schedule set times to check for updates and take practical steps to protect yourself and your loved ones rather than worry about what you cannot change.
3. Provide help to your loved ones, neighbours or community. Helping people can keep you busy, give you a sense of purpose and connect you to others. Check in on friends, host an online class or offer services to vulnerable people.
4. Maintain your schedule as much as possible. Without our usual cues, it is easy to slip into bad habits such as sleeping late or skipping meals. Set and stick to times for sleeping, eating, working, exercise and leisure.
5. Be kind to yourself and accept failings. This is a difficult time for everyone, and you should not expect yourself to be as happy and productive as you normally would. Forgive yourself when you do not live up to your usual standards.
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